UNBROKEN SPIRIT LIVES IN US

This was the third album from Polish act Loonypark, and in the intervening years there was just the one line-up change with drummer Jakub Grzesło departing prior to their 2011 release, 'Straw Andy', and being replaced by Grzegorz Fieber. In many ways, this is quite a different album to the debut, which perhaps isn't surprising given that there were seven years between the two, as the band were by now confident in what they were doing, and it is this confidence that shines through in everything they touch. It is more symphonic than before, and whereas the power was somewhat restrained in the past, here it is allowed more freedom. Sabina hits the notes she wants to, and maintains them without a quiver, standing proud to the world, showing that she knows she has the voice, and is going to use it.

The delicate guitar lines that were the trademark sound of the debut are still here, but not as frequent as they once were. The band have shifted so that Krzysztof's keyboards are even more important than they were previously: they are much more integral to the overall being that is Loonypark. He isn't afraid to play delicate piano if that is what is needed, or use the sounds of a harpsichord, while Piotr Lipka brings in a fretless bass to give that extra warmth, or they can easily move into all-out bombastic over the top symphonic prog. There is a real sense of space within the music, so that the listener can move between the interweaving strands and concentrate on whatever seems to be the most important. "Treasure" is a real highlight, with so much delicacy at the beginning that it feels as if a gossamer thread is being wove, before being blast away just in time for them to start the process all over again. I became a fan of Loonypark when I first heard their debut all those years ago, but this album is just so much more than I could ever have imagined that they would become. Awesome.